Cannabis Possession Doesn’t Justify Police Stop, Massachusetts Supreme Court Rules
The Massachusetts Supreme Court, in a 5 to 2 vote, has ruled that police cannot stop motorists solely because they suspect the vehicle’s occupants are in possession of cannabis.
“Permitting police to stop a vehicle based on reasonable suspicion that an occupant possesses marijuana does not serve [the] objectives” of a 2008 law that decriminalized the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis, Justice Margot Botsford wrote in the majority opinion.
According to, Botsford wrote allowing such stops “does not refocus police efforts on pursuing more serious crime”.
The ruling was made the same day as the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol launched their initiative drive to legalize cannabis in Massachusetts.
– TheJointBlog
John Brazee
I’m glad to see my state is starting to be more positive and making progress with our cannabis laws.